


fidget

by onthighsbelongtotaemin



Category: SHINee
Genre: Aromantic, Asexual Character, Blind Date, Boyfriends, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Sister-Sister Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 17:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9082171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onthighsbelongtotaemin/pseuds/onthighsbelongtotaemin
Summary: eunsook sets her sister up on a series of dates & taeyeon can’t sit still.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eorumverba](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eorumverba/gifts).



“you’re going to love him.”  taeyeon rolls her eyes & blows at her bangs.

“you said that about the last guy.”  

“i swear, i had no idea he was like that.”    

“who says they feel like your mom on the first date?”

“people with mommy kinks.”  she snorts, looking up at eunsook whose face remains passive.

“he didn’t mean it that way.”

“just pointing out that it could have gotten weirder for you.” taeyeon smirks & raises an eyebrow.

“are you kink shaming?”

“are you into mommy kinks?”

“no.”

“that’s all i’m saying.”  taeyeon sighs & scratches at her bare knee, her leg kicking in the air as eunsook scrolls through her phone.

“it was oddly sweet.  he’s super into his mom.  even showed me her picture.  i think in some way he’s just trying to emulate her.”

“do you want me to call him again & set you back up?”

“no.”

“ok.  so his name is minho & he’s gorgeous.  tall, dark, handsome, the whole bit.  here.  look.” eunsook holds out the phone & there’s a picture of a man with wide eyes & a childish grin, his chin resting between his forefinger & thumb.  not bad, she thinks, though the absence of anything more itches & she scratches her knee again.  eunsook eyes her as she pulls the phone back, glancing at the image before putting it down on the table.  leaning up against the black grain, she continues.  “he’s super nice & polite & silly & just a whole lot of fun.”  

“but?”

“but he loves sports.  all of them. everything.  loves. them.”

“i don’t.”

“i know.”

“so what are we supposed to talk about?”

“music.  half of your album collections are identical.  it’s kind of eerie.”

“ok.”  

~

eunsook sighs from her perch in the recliner, rocking back & forth & making taeyeon dizzy from where she lies on her back on the sofa.  

“what was it this time?”

“sports.  so much sports.”

“i told you about that.”

“there’s a difference between being told & witnessing it with my own eyes.”

“did you at least have a little fun?”

“yes, actually.  you were right about the music.  we’re going to go see tvxq next month.”

“…so it did work out?”

“i mean, as friends yes.  he took me back to his apartment & we played video games for like..three hours.”

“he took you back to his apartment?”

“yep.”

“but you didn’t stay?”

“nope.”  eunsook sighs again & closes her eyes, still rocking & taeyeon turns her gaze to the ceiling, its little white bumps steady & not nauseating.

“well at least you made a new friend.”  taeyeon nods at the little white bumps.

~

“ok i think you’ll like this guy.  he’s kind of…unique.”  taeyeon catches the hesitant tone & nods, popping her gum.  “he’s a friend of minjung’s.”

“cool.”

“cool?”

“yeah.  minjung has good taste.”  eunsook rolls her eyes & snickers.

“you just say that because she babies you & protects you from me & my perfectly reasonable critiques all the time.”

“no, i’m serious.  she picked you & that shows she has good taste.”  her sister’s eyes soften & she hits taeyeon gently on the shoulder.

“quit sucking up.”  taeyeon just shrugs & pops her gum again.  

~

“taeyeon?”  taeyeon looks up from her phone, the piano app still open & one ear bud resting on her shoulder.

“yes?” she answers, appraising the guy in front of her. black hair, shaved on one side, black boots with rolled up jeans & black v-neck.  three piercings & a slice across his eyebrow.  she likes him already.

“kibum.”  he sits down across from her & she uncrosses her legs to give his space beneath the table.  “minjung’s told me so much about you.”  

“has she?” taeyeon asks as she puts the buds into her satchel.  “like what?”

“that you love to dance.  that i shouldn’t trust you around anything i don’t want to get lost or broken. about how if eunsook’s humor is going to make me sigh i should be prepared for yours to do the same.”

“ah yeah.  we get that a lot.”  he nods & she stares at his lips wondering what it was like to have such nice lips & feeling suddenly very self-conscious about hers.

“so…”  the sudden vibration of a phone, his, catches both their attentions & he pulls it out of his pocket & frowns.

“sorry, i have to get this.  it’s the dog sitter.”

“you have dogs?”  kibum nods with his finger in the air as he mouths a silent “i’m sorry, just a moment” with the phone pressed to his ear.  his voice is low & she tries not to eavesdrop, focusing instead on the sound of the vinyl bench as she shifts on it from side to side.  

“sorry about that,” he repeats as he puts his phone away, “my cousin’s watching them & she couldn’t find the food.”  a quick eye-roll & a smile has taeyeon smiling herself.

“what kind of dogs do you have?”

“toy poodles.”

“shut up!  so are mine!”

“seriously?”  taeyeon leans back & grins, her palms flat on the cool table.

“yeah.  adam & eve.”

“commes des & garcon.”  she tilts her head.

“those are some unique names.”

“fashion designer.”  he points at her with a grin.  “bible, i assume?”

“yeah.  i just thought it was cute.  adam needed a playmate so when i got another one i just named him eve to keep the theme.”

“you named your male dog eve?”

“yeah, why?”

“that was adam’s wife.”

“so?”  kibum bobs his head from side to side, ears nearly touching his shoulders.  finally, he just shrugs.

“i named my dogs after a fashion designer.  who am i to judge?”

“we’re quite the creative pair.  here,” she says, pulling her phone back out of her satchel, “want to see pictures?”  

~

“have you ever been to rosewood dog park?” kibum asks after cooing over taeyeon’s picture of her on the floor laughing with both pups licking her face. “it’s up on the north side of town, down by the river.”  she thinks for a moment then shakes her head.

“no, i don’t think so,” she replies, handing him back his phone. “i usually go to marigold.  closer to my apartment.”

“we should go together.  it’s huge & there’s plenty of space for the dogs to run.” he smiles at her then, a smile she is familiar with & her heart sinks a little at what she has to tell him.  she usually keeps it to herself, just saying that ‘there was no chemistry’ without elaborating further.  sometimes, though, when she really likes them she tells & sometimes that leads to a new friendship.  like minho who ruffled her hair & told her that he was actually interested in his roommate jinki & had only gone on the date to get his friend junghee off his back until he gathered up the courage to make his move.

but other times it led to her being told they could ‘fix’ her or that she was ‘a tease’, or just leaving immediately (sometimes with the bill).  she really, really hopes kibum is one of the good ones.

“there’s something i need to tell you.”  he leans back a little & his eyes grow wary.  

“ok.”

“ok well…i mean, i kind of like you & i really want to hang out with you more. like, dog walks & just talking & stuff.  but if you’re looking for a physical or romantic relationship i am not your girl.”  he nods slowly & she bites her lips & digs her fingernails into her palms because she can’t read his eyes.

“ok.”  he sounds confused which confuses her.

“ok?”

“yeah.  i like you too & i’d love to do all those things with you as well.  thanks for being upfront.”

“yeah, sure.”  her eyebrows furrow because it is just a little too calm of a reaction & she can’t quite put her finger on why.  he leans back & stretches, sitting forward again with a smile.

“you seem surprised.”

“you don’t,” she replied.  he shrugged.

“we’re on a date getting to know each other & you’re telling me who you are.”

“not everyone sees it that way.”

“not everyone is me.”

“all right.  tell me kim kibum; who are you?”  his smile grows & she leans in to listen.

they talk for hours, taeyeon shifting in her seat & absently wondering how kibum manages to stay perfectly still for so long.  he tells her about his grandmother & the story behind his scar.  she tells him about her sister & how she is honestly the coolest, weirdest person she has ever known, her sister-in-law minjung a close second.  they discuss music & find some overlap in tastes, moving on to films & theater & enjoying a lively debate about the merits of both horror & fluff films.    

in the end they make a date for the weekend for themselves & their dogs, agreeing to meet up around noon.

~

it’s one in the afternoon on a sunday & they sit on a warm wooden bench eating ice cream & watching their dogs act as though they have never smelled grass before & have lived their entire lives in confinement with today being their first taste of freedom.  it is their fifth date & their second dog park; five more to go & they will have visited each one in town.  kibum holds up his phone & they take a few pictures, posing with their ice cream cones as microphones.

the day ends with a side hug, taeyeon leaning into kibum’s chest, & plans to do it again next week.

~

“so it’s working out?”

“yep.”  taeyeon taps her teeth together & plays with her thumbs.

“huh.”

“what?”

“not what i expected, honestly.”

“why?”

“he just seems so intense.”

“that he is.”  she rolls over onto her side, playing with her hair with one hand & snapping her fingers with the other.

“but it’s working out.”

“yep.”

“huh.  so what do you guys do?”

“go to clubs & dog parks.  we’re going to start japanese classes in the fall.” taeyeon shifts & stares up at the ceiling, at the little white bumps.

“huh.”

“what?”

“it’s nice to see you happy.”

“that i am.”

“dog parks huh?”

“yep.”

“& japanese classes?”

“ _hai._ ”

“huh.”

~

six months later

~

“do you want to move in?”  taeyeon blinks, enjoying the feeling of her eyelids pressing together.

“to your apartment?”

“yeah.  my lease is up in a month & i’m thinking about moving to a quieter neighborhood. or at least less filled with drunk college students.”

“i’m a slob.”  he leans back & smirks.

“i’ve noticed.”

“you still want me?”

“always.”  she laughs & switches ankles.

“so does this make you my boyfriend?”

“as long as you don’t mind me continuing to date other people, yes.” she smiles & flicks her fingernails with her thumbs.

“i do not mind.”

“awesome.”

“hey,” she says, rubbing his shoulder with her own.  “i love you, you know.”

“i know.”  she purses her lips & her eyes turn to crescents as she watches him do his best to keep a straight face.

“love me too, you do.  say it you must.”  he loses control & bursts out laughing, grabbing her shoulder for balance.

“yeah, yeah.  i love you too.  weirdo.” taeyeon just grins & grabs his hand, entwining their fingers & turning her eyes back to where the dogs run through the grass, barking & panting as they chase each other around the yard.


End file.
